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A Drive to Succeed

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Ekue Kangni

Students benefit from prestigious scholarship

KENNESAW, Ga. (Apr 13, 2017) — Ekue Kangni was 8 years old when his parents immigrated to the U.S. from west Africa.
He made straight A’s in high school and knew he wanted to pursue higher education,
but his path to college, financially speaking, wasn’t as clear.

“My mom, she never went to school, so I taught her how to write, and I taught her
English after we moved here in 2003,” he said. “We would practice English together
when I got home from school.”

Kangni’s mom, who would braid hair to help support the family, would eventually go
on to earn an ESL certificate and open her own beauty shop.

“My parents, my dad and mom, they always want the best for us,” he said. “My parents
worked really hard, and I had the drive and the mindset that my parents had.”

That drive and determination helped propel Kangni to become one of eight Kennesaw
State University students to receive a Gates Millennium Scholarship. Established in
1999, the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program is a $1.6 billion initiative funded
by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The goal of the GMS program is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity
for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to attend college.
Since the program’s inception, Kennesaw State students have received more than $154,000.

“This scholarship is a dream come true because without the scholarship, I feel like
my life would probably be harder,” Kangni said. “It makes it easier for me to reach
my goals.”

The scholarship is renewable for up to five years in any undergraduate discipline
and throughout graduate school to a doctoral degree in any of the these disciplines:
computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health
or science.

According to the GMS program, its students have achieved a six-year graduation rate
of more than 90 percent, double the national average of students from similar backgrounds.

Kangni, who expects to graduate in 2019 with a degree in electrical engineering, said he plans to go on and earn a master’s degree and a doctorate.

“My main goal is once I graduate college, my parents should not be working anymore,”
he said. “I should be taking care of my parents.”

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 35,000 students. With 13 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. A Carnegie-designated doctoral institution, it is one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.